If Beale Street Could Talk, Annapurna Pictures, Plan B Entertainment, Pastel Productions

Artisan, Entertainment, Four Temperaments, Guardian, Idealist, Mating, out of the box, Personality, Rational, Teams

Love Story

March 24, 2019 David Keirsey Leave a comment

Annapurna Pictures original film If Beale Street Could Talk won Regina King her first Oscar.

#BealeStreet is based on literature of the same name.

rottentomatoes: 95%

metacritic: 87

imdb: 7.4

oscars: 1 win

golden globes: 1 win

Sharon Rivers

Sharon Rivers does her best to support her grandson Fonny Jr. after his father is forced to take a plea-deal on unsubstantiated pretenses outside of 1970 New York City, New York.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

1 win: 2019

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture

1 win: 2019

“Hey. How you doin’, li’l bit? How is he? That’s good. He been to see Fonny? Yeah, baby. Get the good glasses. What’s it look like? You the man of the house, start pouring. Not too much for Tish. This… is a sacrament. And, no, I ain’t lost my mind. We are drinkin’ to new life. Tish gonna have Fonny’s baby. Drink. About three months. Tish, he knows it. He knows it. Your daddy knows it. He’s just… he’s just worried about you, that’s all. To the newborn. You know what? Joe, call ’em all over here. No, no, I’m serious– it’s Saturday night. We got a whole lot left in that bottle. It’s not late. As I think about it, that’s the best way to do this. Go on, call their asses on over here. What you wanna have?” — Sharon Rivers

“Oh. All right. Well, Mrs. Hunt, what can I get you, sugar? I can offer you coffee, tea… ice cream, Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola. Oh, Lord! Time flies. I haven’t seen you since all this trouble started. Mm. Yeah, you might be right. The Lord sure works in mysterious ways. What do you think about that lawyer Ernestine found? Um, that boy Hayward? What do you think about him, Frank? Hmm. Now, Alice, I don’t think that Frank was talkin’ about hate. He was just speakin’ on the truth. Joseph. Joseph, go on. Go on, we don’t need you here. She’s got a weak head. The Holy Ghost must have softened your brain, child. Did she forget that that was Frank’s grandchild she was cursin’? Ernestine. Ernestine. That child that’s comin’… is your grandchild. I don’t understand you. It’s your grandchild. What difference does it make how it gets here? The child ain’t got nothin’ to do with that. Ain’t none of us got nothin’ to do with that. Get your shit! Take your shit with you.” — Sharon Rivers

“Well, how can she just disappear? That means more money. Wait. Tish, Tish, wait… let me get you straight now. You’re sayin’ that Officer Bell tells her what to say. There’s no gettin’ at the truth in this case? How soon do you need the money? How soon do you need the money? Don’t you cry. Don’t you cry, baby. Don’t you cry. Here you go. Wipe your face. Wipe your face.” — Sharon Rivers

“I know I can’t help you very much right now. Lord knows what I wouldn’t give if I could. But I know about sufferin’… and I know that it ends. And when you lyin’ in this bed, you not by yourself. You got this child right here beneath your heart. And we all countin’ on you. Fonny countin’ on you… to bring this baby here safe and well and… you the only one that can do it. You understand? Okay. I don’t wanna sound foolish… but remember, love is what brought you here. And if you trusted love this far, don’t panic now. Trust it all the way. I love you, baby girl.” — Sharon Rivers

“Daughter, I was a woman long before you was a woman, remember that. And I know… I know you pay for the lies you tell. You sent a man to jail, one you ain’t never even seen before. Just 22 years old, young… and he wants to marry my daughter. You saw him in the police line-up. That was the only time you saw him. I’ve known him all his life. But it was… it happened in the dark. You saw Alonzo in the light. Daughter, in the name of God… Daughter, please– please listen– shh! Oh, my gosh. Oh, no. No. Damn! Fuck.” — Sharon Rivers

Clementine Rivers (Tish)

“You ready for this?” — Tish Rivers

“I hope that nobody has ever had to look at anybody they love… through glass. I need to tell… hey. Alonzo? Alonzo, we… we’re gonna have a baby. I should have said already, we’re not married. That means more to him that it does to me, but I understand how he feels. Fonny is 22. I’m 19. I’m glad, Fonny. I’m glad. Don’t you worry. Not yet. Not yet, but don’t worry about them. I just wanted to tell you first. I’m gonna do just like I’ve been doin’. I’m gonna work up to just about the last month and then mama and sis will take care for me. You ain’t got to worry. And, anyway, we’ll have you out of here before then. I’m always sure about that. I love you, too.” — Tish Rivers

“Fonny used to go to vocational school, where they teach kids to make all kinds of shitty things, like card tables and hassocks and chest of drawers, which nobody’s ever gonna buy. But Fonny didn’t go for it at all, and he split, takin’ most of the tools from the workshop with him. He started workin’ as a short-order cook so he could eat. And he found a basement where he could work on his wood, and he was at our house more than he was at his. It was all so simple. Learn this, build that, get a job and work it until the job became you. But Fonny has decided on a whole new view. You see, he had found something that he wanted to do. And this saved him from the death that awaited the children of our age. And though it took many forms, the death itself was very simple. The cause was simple, too. The kids had been told that they weren’t worth shit. And everything they saw around them… proved it.” — Tish Rivers

“He’s just the same. He’s fine. He sends his love. Not today. I have to go on Monday. No. Mama? Mama… ooh. Yes. And Fonny wants it, too. It’s our baby, and, a-and it’s not his fault that he’s in jail. It’s not like he ran away. And we’ve always been best friends ever since we were little, Daddy, you know that. And we’d be married now if it wasn’t for that lady– no, daddy. I don’t mind. Mm-hmm. A boy. What?” — Tish Rivers

“The day I realized Fonny was in love with me was strange. It was the day he gave mama that sculpture. I dumped water over Fonny’s head and scrubbed Fonny’s back in the bathtub, in a time that seems so long ago. I don’t remember that we ever had any curiosity concerning each other’s bodies. Fonny loved me too much. And that meant that there had never been any occasion for shame between us. We were a part of each other, flesh of each other’s flesh, which we so took for granted that we never thought of the flesh. And yet, it was no surprise to me when I finally understood… that he was the most beautiful person I had seen in all my life.” — Tish Rivers

“Why’d you sleep in the park?” — Tish Rivers

“Fonny’s mother didn’t like me. She just didn’t think I was good enough for Fonny. Which really means that she didn’t think I was good enough for her. And in another way, she felt that I was maybe just exactly what Fonny deserved.” — Tish Rivers

“Yeah. He’s fine. He sends his love. Well, he hates it, you can see that. And he should. But… he’s strong. He’ll be all right. But we gotta get him out of there. Why not? It’s Saturday night. Can’t tell what folks won’t do if they get bored enough. Maybe we just invited you over to liven things up.” — Tish Rivers

“I had never seen Fonny outside the world in which I moved. I had seen him with his father and his mother, and I had seen him with us. I had certainly never seen him in the world in which he moved. Perhaps it was only now I was able to see him with me… because even though he was turned away from me laughing… he was holdin’ my hand. Yeah? But it’s late. Okay, Fonny. Okay. I called this meeting. I had daddy ask you all to come over so I could tell you what I had to tell Fonny today. What I had to tell Fonny today is… Fonny’s gonna be a father. We’re gonna have a baby. The father and the mother. That was a terrible thing you said to me. That was the most terrible thing I’ve heard in all my life. I am, you dried-up, yellow cunt! And you keep on talkin’, I’ll take mighty good care of you.” — Tish Rivers

“I like lying here like this. That was my first time. Did you know? You just wanna hear me say it. So what? I just know that I love you.” — Tish Rivers

“Mrs. Victoria Rogers, nèe Victoria Maria San Felipe Sanchez, declares that on the evening of October 5th, between the hours of 11:00 and 12:00, in the vestibule of her home, she was criminally assaulted by a man she now claims to have been Alonzo ‘Fonny’ Hunt, and was used by the aforesaid Hunt in the most extreme and abominable sexual manner, and forced to undergo the most unimaginable sexual perversions. I’ve never seen her, I know only that an American-born Irishman went to Puerto Rico six years ago and there met Victoria who was then 18. He married her and brought her to New York. Having pumped three children out of her, he left. Her home is on Orchard Street. Orchard Street, if you know New York, is a very long way from Bank Street. Orchard Street is damn near in the East River, and Bank Street is practically in the Hudson. It is not possible to run from Orchard to Bank Street, particularly not with the police behind you. Yet Officer Bell swears he saw Fonny run from the scene of the crime. This is only possible if Officer Bell were off duty, for his beat is on the West Side, not the East. And yet it is now up to the accused to prove, and pay for proving, the irregularity and improbability of this sequence of events.” — Tish Rivers

“Disappeared? But doesn’t it make it look bad for her case, for her to just disappear like that? She’s the key witness. If he saw Fonny run from the scene of the crime, then why did he have to wait and come and get him out of the house? So you’re sayin’– call him Fonny. Call him Fonny. When you call him Alonzo, I see the judge and the bars and the chains and the… I know you’re doin’ my sister a favor, and this is a very fancy law office, but if you’re gonna do this, you gotta be family. So call him Fonny… please.” — Tish Rivers

“Hey. You see Hayward? I don’t know, but we’ll find her. We’re sending people to Puerto Rico. We think that’s where she went. How’s she gonna get that far? Who? Fonny, I don’t think– I… I don’t think they have. We’re all workin’, all of us. Fonny, you need to listen. I do. And I understand what you’re goin’ through… because I’m with you.” — Tish Rivers

“Fonny had been walking down Lenox Avenue when he ran into Daniel. Time had not improved Daniel. He was still big, black and loud. At the age of 28, a little older than Fonny, but he was already runnin’ out of familiar faces. So they grabbed each other on the avenue. And though he certainly shouldn’t be spending the money, he pushes Daniel into a cab and they roll on down to Bank Street, where I am not expecting them. But I could not be indifferent to Daniel, because I realized from Fonny’s face how marvelous it was for him to have scooped up from the swamp waters of his past an old friend.” — Tish Rivers

“Oh, my God. Hey. No, I’m fine. Y’all all right? I’m movin’. I’m movin’. I gonna put somethin’ real special on your plate. Mm-hmm. You cats hungry? Um, I think we got some left. If y’all ain’t drink ’em up. God is good, God is great, and we thank Him for this food, and we thank Him to help Daniel at our table tonight.” — Tish Rivers

“The date for Fonny’s trial keeps changing. This fact, of course, forces me to realize that Hayward’s concern is genuine. I don’t think that he very much cared in the beginning. He’d never taken a case like Fonny’s before, but once into it, the odor of shit rose too high. He had no choice but to keep stirrin’ it. It became obvious at once, for example, that the degree of his concern for his client placed him at odds with the keepers of the keys and seals. He had not expected this, and at first it bewildered, then frightened and angered him.” — Tish Rivers

“Hi. Hi. My little Fonny. My little Fonny. I got you. I got you. I got you. I promise I got you. I promise I got you. I got you. I promise. I promise. I promise I got you. I got you. I got you. Mommy’s got you.” — Tish Rivers

“We’re still not married. After all this happened, neither of us cares what that means. Fonny was once 22, I was 19. But neither of us is young anymore, can’t afford to be. They say we gotta live the life we’ve been given… and live it so our children can be free.” — Tish Rivers

“There aren’t enough hours in the day or judges on the bench to try all the cases brought against these men. The game has been rigged and the courts see it through. A trial is their right, but to bury you beneath the prison for forcin’ the judge and the DA to do their jobs is the court’s right, too. And so, like many of these poor men… Fonny took a plea.” — Tish Rivers

Alonzo Hunt (Fonny)

“I never been more ready for anything in my whole life.” — Fonny Hunt

“Hey. You tell my daddy? You tell your folks? A baby. What you gonna do? Are you sure about that? I love you.” — Fonny Hunt

“You know, I’ve slept in this park sometimes. Nah, it’s… it’s not a good idea. It was late. I didn’t wanna go home. I didn’t wanna wake none of y’all up neither. But I got me a pad down here now. So you wanna eat down here or you wanna wait till we get uptown? Or, uh, do you wanna go to the movies? Or do you want a little wine or a little pot or a little beer? Or a cup of coffee? Maybe you just wanna walk around a little bit more till you make up your mind? Come on.” — Fonny Hunt

“Uh-huh. Pedrocito. Tish? Come and see my place, won’t you? It ain’t far.” — Fonny Hunt

“Don’t be scared. Just remember that I belong to you. Just remember that I wouldn’t hurt you for anything in this world. You’re just gonna have to get used to me. And we got all the time in the world. Hold on to me.” — Fonny Hunt

“I do, too. Do you like me? I mean… when I make love to you… do you like it? So? So why don’t you go ahead and say it?” — Fonny Hunt

“Hey. Yeah. What the fuck happened to Mrs. Rogers? Where the fuck did she go? How we gonna find her? Yeah? Suppose she went to… to Argentina, hmm? Or-or Chile or China? They can give her money to go anywhere. The DA’s office, that’s who. Oh, what, you don’t believe me? Huh? You don’t think they could do it? How are we gonna get the money to find her? Yeah, my daddy’s working at the garment center, you’re working at the department store, and your daddy’s workin’ at the waterfront– listen to what? The lawyer don’t give a shit about me. He don’t give a shit about nobody! You want me to die in here? You know what’s happenin’ to me, to me in here? I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean none of that for you. I love you. You know that. You take care of yourself out there.” — Fonny Hunt

“Why you askin’ me, man? Oh, come on. Hey, you know, I’m out here lookin’ for a job, man. Yeah. Come on back to the pad. We’ll get some beer. Tish’ll fix us somethin’ to eat.” — Fonny Hunt

“It will be something one day. You wanna smoke, man? They got lofts standin’ empty all over the East Side, man. They all firetraps, too. And some of them ain’t even got no toilets. So you figure, finding a loft ain’t gonna be no sweat, right? But, man… this country really do not like *******, man. They don’t like ******* so bad, man, they’ll rent to a leper before they rent to a ******. Sometimes, Tish and I’ll go together, sometimes, she’ll go by herself, sometimes I go by myself, but it’s always the same story, man. And now I can’t even let her go by herself. Dig this, right? Last week we though we had ourselves a loft. Cat had promised it to her. But he hadn’t seen me. You know, so he figures, a black chick way downtown, looking for a loft all by herself, he think he gonna make it with her. He thinks she’s propisitionin’ him. I mean, that’s what he really thinks. She come back to tell me, all happy and proud. We go down there, and sure enough, when that cat sees me… he says, ‘oh, there’s been some great misunderstanding. I can’t rent you the loft ’cause, ’cause I got all this family coming in from Romania in, like, a half-hour and I gotta give it to ’em.’ Shit. I told him he was full of shit. And then he threatened to call the cops on my ass. I’m really gonna have to figure out a way of getting some bread together and getting the fuck out of this country. I don’t know yet. Tish can’t swim. You all right? Nah, man. I don’t think I could do that. I’d be too scared. I’d just be scared, man. I’d be scared of what might happen to the both of us… without each other. You know, I know I might seem like a weird kind of cat, but… I got two things in my life, man. I got my wood and stone… and I got Tish. Without them, I’m lost. I know that. You know, whatever’s in me, I ain’t put it there. I damn sure can’t take it out. Hell, yeah, you can. Here you go, big fella. Yeah. By the balls, huh? You need help in there, baby? Mm-hmm. How long you been out, man? Hey. It’s all right, man. You out now. And you young. Yeah. Yeah, we starvin’.” — Fonny Hunt

Joseph Rivers

“What you doin’ with that? What’s the special occasion? Oh, but of course, madame. All right. I wonder what all this is for. All right. What’s goin’ on? Uh… uh, well… that’s– that’s one hell of a note. Aren’t you gonna drink to the little one, Tish? How long has this been goin’ on? Three months? You mean, while you two was runnin’ around here lookin’ at places? All right. Tish… you sure you want this baby? Hey, don’t you go thinkin’ I think you’re some bad girl or any other foolishness like that. I just asked because you’re so young, that’s all. And… I hope it’s a boy. That will tickle old Frank to pieces, I bet. Tish, do you mind if, if I break the news to him? Uh-uh, uh-uh. Oh, no… all right, look, all right. I think you’re right, love. Let’s get them over here. All right. All right! Woo! Hey, hey, Nipsey Russell. Hey, what’s up? What y’all doin’? Hey, honey… Fonny.” — Joseph Rivers

“Yeah. Yeah. Ooh. Yeah. Don’t be lookin’. Keep your eyes in there. Yeah. Oh. That old rattle. All right. How you doin’? Hey, it’s so nice to see you. Come on. Hey! Hey, hey, hey! I got some gin and we got some whisky and we got some cognac. We ain’t got no Thunderbird, though. I hope you ladies don’t mind. Yeah. Uh… uh, um… let me go check on that, um, ice cream float. Hey. Oh. That’s enough for you. All right. Frank! All right, all right. Frank. Frank!” — Joseph Rivers

Ernestine Rivers

“Sing, mama, sing. Yeah, that’s what I figured. Unbow your head, sister. I sure would like to be the one to tell them sisters. Ma. My baby sister’s havin’ a baby. Fonny.” — Ernestine Rivers

“Y’all know we can see y’all, right? Oh, y’all nasty. I got it. Adrienne. Sheila. Gotta call an emergency or somethin’ to see you? Good to see you. Daddy, I got it. I got it, mama. How about an ice cream soda, Mrs. Hunt? I can do that for you. Sheila, why don’t you help me? Come on. Happy landings. Here, daddy. Oh, don’t give me that bullshit. You so ashamed to have a Holy Roller for a mother, you don’t know what to do. Y’all make me sick! Adrienne, baby! Can I tell you somethin’, sweetie? Ever since the first day I laid eyes on your very fine person, I got caught up in your Adam’s apple. Oh, I’ve been dreamin’ about it. And I can’t tell whether I wanna tear it out with my fingers or my teeth. And if you touch my baby sister, I’m gonna have to make up my mind real quick. So touch her. Oh, Sheila. I didn’t even know you could say that word. That’s ’cause won’t nobody fuck ’em. Go on home.” — Ernestine Rivers

Frank Hunt

“Great to see you. Young lady. So you saw my big-headed boy today? Now, they ain’t bein’ too hard on him, is they? Now I ask you like that because, you know, he may say things to you he won’t say to me. Girl, what you know about it? He’s a white boy, been to law school, got them degrees. I ain’t got to tell you what that mean. It don’t mean shit. I’m hip. And it’s a mighty welcome change. Like I was sayin’… it don’t mean sit. I ain’t sure we gonna stay with him. On the other hand, as white boys go, he’s not so bad. He’s young and hungry, so he’s not as full of shit now as he may be when he’s full. Hey, hey, hey, hey. You and me, we fixin’ to go out and get drunk. Oh, I’m glad. Don’t worry, I-I’m mighty glad. You can bet it won’t be the Holy damn Ghost. I think you’ll find it’s still pumpin’, but I wouldn’t call it no heart! Joe, let the women take care of her, man. Come on! Come on.” — Frank Hunt

Alice Hunt

“Lover’s secrets? Mind? Frank does not care if we mind. Girl, don’t say a word. I’ve been runnin’ myself sick all up and down the Bronx, trying to get the very best legal advice I can find. I just pray and I pray and I pray that the Lord will bring my boy to the light. That’s all I pray for. Every day and every night. And then sometimes, sometimes I think this might be the Lord’s plan to get my boy to think on his sins… and surrender his soul to Jesus. Oh, yes, He does. Now, He may try you, but He ain’t never left none of His children alone. I ain’t met him yet. I just ain’t had time to get downtown yet. I know Frank saw him. You’re talkin’ to a woman. That’s what I keep tryin’ to tell you. It’s that negative attitude. You so full of hate. If you give people hatred, they give it back to you. Every time I hear you talk like that, it breaks my heart knowin’ my boy is locked up in some dungeon that only the love of God will get him out of. Well, I trust in God. I know He cares for me. And who’s gonna be responsible for this baby? I guess you call your lustful action love. I don’t. I always knew you’d be the destruction of my son. The Bible says, ‘Put to death, therefore, all that is earthly in you. Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness.’ That child was born of sin, and the Holy Ghost is gonna cause it to shrivel in your womb. But my son, my son will be forgiven. My prayers– oh! Oh. I hope you’re proud of how you raised your daughters. My girls ain’t gonna think of bringing no bastards home to feed! I can tell you that! That child… that child… that child… that child… that child, that child…” — Alice Hunt

Adrienne Hunt

“Ernestine. Mr. Rivers, what exactly is the purpose of this meeting? You didn’t call us all the way over here just to watch my father insult my mother. I can believe you’re that malicious, but I can’t believe you’re that stupid. Mama. Her heart! Help me, help her. Come on, mama, come on. It’s okay, you got it. I got you. Okay. You’re okay. My father didn’t have to slap her. And who do you funky ******* think you are? She only asked one question. Who is going to raise this baby? And who is? Tish ain’t got no education, and God knows, she ain’t got nothin’ else. Fonny ain’t never been worth a damn. So who is going to raise this baby? Come on, Sheila. Let’s go. Come on, mama.” — Adrienne Hunt

Sheila Hunt

“If he’d done his reading and his studying when he should have, he wouldn’t be in there in the first place. She’s got a weak heart. I don’t think you have the right to sneer at my mother’s faith. I knew we shouldn’t have come. Come on, mama. Just grab her purse, come on. Just come on, mama. We got you. Hold her purse. Come on. Come on, mama. Come on, let’s go, mama.” — Sheila Hunt

Daniel Carty

“Fonny! What’s happenin’, baby? Oh, because like the man say about Mount Everest, ‘you there.’ What’s goin’ on with these threads, though, man? Oh, I can dig it, man. All right.” — Daniel Carty

“I get this, man. No, Fonny, I’m serious, man. I-I get this shit. This is, uh… the abstract, right? Like, kind of that Negro– yeah, I know, man. Like, I mean… it’s solid. I mean, keep doing your thing, man. This is… it’s got weight to it. Hell, yeah. Thanks, man. Okay. Oh… really? Yeah. Oh, yeah? How you gonna do that? Come on, man. Yeah. Fuckin’ wrong… you wrong for that. Yo, man. And, look… maybe you can go first. Scared of what? You scared of what might happen to Tish? Mm-hmm. I don’t know if you’re so weird, man. I mean, I know you lucky. I mean, I ain’t got nothin’ like that. Can I have another beer, man? Mm. All right. Appreciate it. Hey, cheers. Cheers. I just got out the slammer, baby. Two years. They said, uh… they still say that I stole a car. I mean, yeah, I had a little bit of pot on me when they grabbed me, but, man, I… I don’t even know how to drive a car, Fonny. But then it sounded a whole lot better than a marijuana charge, you dig? By the balls. I’ve been smokin’ up all your smokes, man. Should have got Tish to get you some more. Shit. You already made of money? There she go. Hey. Yeah, we good. We just sittin’ here starvin’ as always. I’m– Tish, I’m playin’. I’m- I’m jokin’. She’s takin’ her jacket off, man. She gonna put the dukes up. Thank you, Tish. Mm-hmm. You got a good one, man. Hmm. About three months. It was bad, man. Very bad. I mean, it’s bad now. Maybe I’d feel different if I had done something and got caught, but… I ain’t do nothin’. They were just playing with me ’cause they knew they could. And, look, I’m lucky that I only got two years ’cause… when you in there, they can do with you… whatever they want. You hear me? What… ever they want. And they dogs, man. Mm. You know, I found out in the slammer what Malcom and them cats was talkin’ about. The white man has got to be the devil. Because he sure ain’t a man. Some of the things I’ve seen… be dreaming about it until the day I die. Man, I heard what you’re sayin’… and I appreciate it, but… you don’t know. The worst thing… the worst thing is that they can make you so… fucking scared, Fonny. Just… scared, man. Yeah. Tish, you didn’t happen to bring back no beer with you, did you? Never. Mm.” — Daniel Carty

“Tish, come on. Thank you. Thank you so much, Tish. Seriously. I’m not gonna cry. Sounds like you got it all figured out. I mean, who you learn that from, Fonny?” — Daniel Carty

Hayward

“I’m doing everything I can to get him back to you just as fast as I can. But Mrs. Rogers’ refusal to reconsider her testimony has left us in a very tough place. And now she’s disappeared. I don’t think she’s gone very far. They certainly don’t have the means for that. But her family may have returned to Puerto Rico. In any case, in order to find her, I’ll need special investigators and… unfortunately. She’s only one of the key witnesses in this case. You have to remember this Officer Bell. His was the authoritative identification of the rapist. It’s Bell who swears he saw Alonzo running away from the scene of the crime. Exactly. Look. If I didn’t believe in Alonzo’s innocence, I would never have taken this case. Excuse me? I understand. Now, you and… Fonny insist that you were together in the room on Bank Street with an old friend, Daniel Carty. That’s the alibi. But your testimony, as you can imagine, counts for nothing. And Daniel Carty has just been arrested by the DA’s office, and I’ve not been allowed to see him. What they’re doing is really against the law, but Daniel has a record. They obviously intend to make him change his testimony, and… I don’t know this, but I’m willing to bet that that’s why Mrs. Rogers has disappeared. So you see, I will do everything I can. We’re already tracing Mrs. Rogers. I’ll just need the money… uh, as soon as you can get it. I’ll also force the DA’s office to allow me to see Daniel Carty, but they’ll throw every conceivable obstacle in my way. Here.” — Hayward